Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-07-01
REPUBLICAN OPINIONS OF THE
COMING VIRGINIA CAMPAIGN.
Warm Springs, Bath Co., Va.

HOW JOHN s. BARBOUR IS REGARDED
II THREATENED REVOLUTION
AGAINST MALONE.
Washington Correspondence of the Alexandria
Gazette une 3d.
Ex-senator John F. Lewis is here. and
has suffered the misfortune of losing the
sight of an eye. The affection came pain.
lessly on, and he was not even aware OF
the loss until probably month after the
eye was blind. To an inquiry after the
political situation in Virginia, the old war
horse showed much of the vigor and fire
of other days. He said: 1.-THE Republicans
can hardly hope to carry our State under
existing circumstances. With Malone not
at their head, or absent In Europe or some
other far Oft land, they might; but with a
six years Senatorshlp depending, and Ma
homes election TO it the main object Of the
campaign, the INDECENT Democrats will
shake themselves up and pitch in for vic.
tory"
Gazette-"Then he is fine stimulant,
you think, for the democrats?"
'Y es; better than hop bitters, iron and
strychnine or any other tonic in the mar
ket. His hand, you know, was not in the
last fight for congressman at all, and the
party won good victory. He gave no
money to the election, had nothing to do
with the management of 1t, and 80 all the
candidates have told me. It's peculiar,
but his appearance as the boss of our party
fighting against the democrats appears to
act on their rank and file Just like I. red
rag when shook at turkey gobbler.''
Gazette-"Did you mean to say like
red flag when flashed in bulls eye?"
mo; said turkey g0bbler. and the tur-
Key gobbler democracy of Virginia with
Malone shook in their faces, will gobble
us, up unless our plan of fight is changed
from what it is now understood to be.''
GaZette-"Is this opinion concurred in
by any of your other Leadership
"Yes, many of them. There is Sam.
0st, for instance, who edits one of the
abiest republican papers in the country.
lie says we are beat if the campaign is
run On Che one man idea, with boss rule
weighing down the party. Malone has a
wonderful brain, quick and comprehensive,
with great power of concentration, but he
IS too selfish and intOlerant for popular
leader In fact, he is so heartily hated by
the democrats that they are sure to turn
out in overwhelming force whenever he
is personally and conspicuousIy to the
'front.'"
Gazette-"What will the democrats do
with their Senatorship after beating Ma
hone ?''
why, they ought to give it to Barbour.
1t is an honest debt they owe him and
they will hardly repudiate it the second
time. 1 prefer him to any democrat in the
State. Barbour is the greatest political
organizer in the whole country. His cool.
even temper fits him in high degree for
party leadership. Ii he is tyrant nobody
knows it. He's got more solid sense than
all the other organizers put together whom
they have had at their head since the war.
L told Malone this, after the Lynchburg
convention put Barbour in charge. but he
conternptuously denied it. Kelley and
other managers they had had in the lead
had been playthings, Malone said, in his
hands, and Barbour would amount to no
more than they. He wished the democrats
a contestant. Well, he found out his mis-.
take when it was too late. Now, the
democrats have the offices to give, or, at
Least, the power of promising to give them;
they have the most money, too, and, above
all, they have the election machinery and
the count in their hands. In the big
county of Rockingham Idon It believe that
under the organization of Barbour there
were twenty democrats who stayed away
from che polls IN the campaign which first
endorsed Mahone"
From the same correspondence. June 24]
Apropos of ex-senator Lewis recent
criticism of Gen. Mahone's availability as
leader Of the Virginia republican party
in the election this year, 1t may truthfully |
be said that there is a great deal in the |
way of confederation of Mr.. Lewis cri-
ticism coming here almost daily from |
sources both ipmocratic and reDnhljcan
But, as was we'll asked this morning by |
well posted Republican of that State now |
in this city, "What can these republican |
DIRECTORS do about it Who and what are |
they, anyway, when measured by stan |
dard of actual political value in their
party organization ?'' ''They haven It the |
said he. ''to join the demo-
cratic party or even to set up revolution
airy organization OF their own in opposi-